Electrical fitting.



UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

CIL R. HUBBARD AND HENRY E. GILSON, OF BADEN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO NATIONAL METAL MOI-'DING COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A COR- PORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRICAL FITTING.

Specioation of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 6, 1918.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, CEClL R. Hofmann, residing at Bade-11, in the county of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, a subject of the hing of Great Britain, and HENRY R. GIL- soN, residing at Baden, in the county of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Fittings, of which improvements the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to electrical fittings which include in their structure a pair of contactors arranged to receive lamps, extension plugs, etc., and the object thereof is to provide a simply constructed and easily installed fitting having a plurality of pairs of contat-tors and adapted to be connected directly to supply conductors. A further and more specific object of our invention is to provide a combination lamp socket and attachment plug characterized as 'just explained.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, foi-ming part of our specification, we have illustrated the preferred embodiments of our invention. Figure 1 is a top plan view of a fitting connected to an electrical conductor conduit; Fig. 2 a bot-tom plan view of the same fitting detached from the conduit; Fig. 3 a sectional view of the fitting and conduit taken on the line IIL-III, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 a sectional view taken on the line IV-IV, Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a modification of construction. In Figs. 3 and 5 an attachment plug isfshown with the fittings.

In the practice of our invention we provide a base block of insulation which is pref# erably adapted to be attached to an electricrtl conductor conduit system. 0n this block there are mounted a pair of binding posts or equivalent members for the attachment of electrical conductors, and two or more pairs of contactors, the contactors being electrically connected to the binding posts. ToA

protect and pro erly insulate the contactors, a cover block oi) insulation, so formed as to receive endincase the contactors, is secured to the base block.

AIn the illustrative embodiment of our invention, the base block 1 is a substantially flat block of porcelain provided on its l,blottom with a groove 2 to receive electrical conductor conduits 3, to which the block ma be attached by screws 4 extending through the block and engaging a hase plate 5 beneath the conduits. As seen in Figs. l and 1t, the central portion of the base block is provided with two slots (i and (i which extend entirely through it and are separated by a bridge piece 7. Binding posts 8 and 8", preferably of the set-screw type, are attached one to each side of the bridge piece? and in such position` that the binding screws thereof lie one in each of the grooves (i and fi. Although the connections-are not shown herein, it will be understood tha` these binding posts are for the attachment of electrical conductors carried in the conduits and the position of the binding posts is such that conductors, passing through the openings or slots in the base blockjrm thc bottom thereof, may be attachedto'the posts from the front of the base blocli. The attachment of the binding post 8 to the base block is effected by two screws 9 and 9, and that of the post 8 by a single screw 10, each of such screws extending through the bridge 7 from the lower side thereof. The contactors, which, in this embodiment of our invention, are attached to the base block and electrically connected to the binding posts, are a pair of spring clips 11 and 11 adapted to receive an attachment plug, and lamp socket members consisting of a shell y12 and a base contact 13. The shell 12 is provided with lugs 24, which extend between the ends of the binding post 8 and the bridge 7 and are held in electrical contact with such binding post by the connecting screws 9 and 9", while the base contact 13 1s suitably mounted in the bridge 7 in position to be pressedJ into electrical contact with the post 8 in the usual manner. As will be seen, the spring clips 11 and 11* are placed at one side of the shell 12, and, for economy of space and for o erating efficiency, lie in a general plane o lique to the shell. These cli s are attached to the block 1 by means o screws 14 and 14, which are of conductin material, and electrical continuity is esta lished between such screws and the binding posts 8 and 8'L by means of short wires .15 and 15,

which lie in suitable recesses formed in the 10e bottom of the bridge 7.

The cover block 16, which we provide for properly protecting and insulating the several pairs of contactors,

dsire to is preferably made of porcelain and is provided with a cylindrical bore 17 to receive the shcll l2, and with recesses 18 and 18 to receive the clips l1 und 11. Adjacent to the clips thc rover has a lint face 2l against which nn attachment plug 22 of standard form und construction may fit. The cover is attached to the base block by means of screws 19 in the nninner indicated articularly in Fig. 4.

The fitting shown in Fig. 5 is the sinne as that shown in Figs. 1 and 4, inclusive, with th ,i exception thatthe itting of Fig. 5 is pi vided with a key switch 20, which may bc of any suitable form, the construction of which is well known and need not be herein explained in detail.

1t will be observed of the iitting which we have provided that its consu-notion and arrnn ement is such as to uti'oixl leimipactness in orxn. neetness 1n a peimmce, and etliciency in operation. A `tier the various conductin und mntncting members have been proper y secured to the hose block, the fittin a comprises hut two parte, en( the cover block, which erts muy be ettuched to or disconnected `rom each other without disturbing the conducting parts of the base. Furthermore, when making en installation, the base block may be pleed in position adjacent to the conduit 3, and the electrical conductors, extending from the 'conduits through the central openin s or slots in such block, be att-ached to the inding posts from the front, thereof. This is mede possible by reason of the fact that binding post screws are above the plane of the top of the base block as indicated in ccording to the provisions of the aient Statute we have described the princip e and operation of our invention together with the construction which we new consider to be the best embodiment thereof. However, we

have it understood `that the conthe base block struction shown and described is but illustrative, und that our invention nniy he practised in other forms of construction.

We claim as our invention:

1. A combination lmnp socket und attachment plug comprising :i base block of insulation provided with n pair ot' contnctors adapted to he connected to :in electric-.il circuit, n pair ci lamp socket coninct uicnibors including n. shell secured to snid block und electrically connected to said Contactors, a pair of attachment-plug clips nt one side of and lying in n. general plano oblique to the lon itudinal axis of snid shell, said clips being e ectrically connected to said contactors, and a cover block of insulation secured to said base block, said cover block heilig provided with :i cylindrical opening to receive seid shell and with n recess to receive said clips;`

2. A copiibination lamp socket und attachment lug comprising n. substantially Het base b ocl: of insulation provided near its center with e4 pair of slots and n bridge piece between them. a air of binding posts for the attachment of e ectricnl conductors mounted one on each side of said bridge piece, n lnmp socket, shcli and bese contact member mounted on the top of said bridge piece, e

a'ir of attachment plug clips securedto said lock atI one side of said shell, and e cover block of insulation secured to seid base block, said cover block being provided with a cylindrical bore to receive said shell and with recesses to receive said clips.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

CECIL R. HUBBARD. HENRY R. G-ILSON. Witnesses as to Hubbard: Devin M. Doorne, FnANcis J. Tomnseos, Witnesses es to Gilson;

PAUL R. Cmrounow, FRANCIS J. ToMAssoN. 

